Tinnitus is a physical condition, experienced as an aural perception of noise when no such external physical noise is present. Most often, in patients suffering from tinnitus, this noise presents itself as a ringing in the ears. In other cases, patients describe hearing other sounds such as a hissing, clicking or roaring noise in the ears, in the absence of external stimuli.
Testing and treating tinnitus is a difficult task because of its inherent variability. For instance, patients may not experience the same level of tinnitus in both ears. Additionally, factors such as the time of the day and environment, may affect the ways in which tinnitus presents itself. Moreover, tinnitus often causes psychological effects such as, elevated stress and anxiety, due to the persistence of the noise. Long term auditory nerve damage is yet another consequence of leaving tinnitus untreated. Many patients suffering from tinnitus also report hearing loss over time.
Patients experiencing tinnitus currently do not receive round the clock clinical care. Treatment involves visiting hospitals and consulting experts, to fine tune tinnitus treatment devices.
Therefore, there is a need for methods, systems and apparatus that may facilitate testing and treating auditory disorders such as, but not limited to, tinnitus and hearing loss. Further, there is need for methods, systems and apparatus that may allow a patient to receive care for testing and treating auditory disorders when the patient is away from the hospital. Additionally, for auditory disorders with high levels of variability, there is a need for methods, systems and apparatus that may allow rapid adjustment of auditory treatment, in response to changes in the symptoms of the auditory disorder affecting the patient.